– It will be up and ready to go for the 2011 season.
-The video screen will be high-definition and will measure around 36-feet high and 79.5 feet wide.
– The video screen will be five times larger than the one that is currently in Jack Trice Stadium.
– This new scoreboard will also feature a new Daktronics custom-built sound system.

“The impact of this structure on our football program is hard to quantify, but its size, quality and versatility will significantly enhance Jack Trice Stadium,” Jamie Pollard said in a release. “Beyond a significant upgrade of entertainment possibilities, it also helps us maximize marketing potential within the stadium.”

That is definitely NOT the case when it comes to big time college athletics.

Good golly, I cannot wait until September.

CFN ON RHOADS/IOWA STATE: Don’t freak out here fanatics. According to a recent article by the guys over at CollegeFootballNews.com, they expect Paul Rhoads to leave Iowa State within the next five years. CLICK HERE to read the article, where the publications ranks the current coaches in the Big 12.

Here is its description of Rhoads, who they rank as the sixth best coach in the league.

—- It might sound crazy now, but Rhoads came in and cleaned up the mess left by the Gene Chizik era. The former Auburn defensive coordinator is trying to generate a winner in Ames, and he came painfully close to pulling off a big season but a loss to Nebraska slipped away. While his first two teams have hardly been world-beaters, he has done a great job making Iowa State competitive while coming up with a win over Texas last year and winning the Insight Bowl over Minnesota two seasons ago.

Hot Seat Status: Little. It might not seem like he’s becoming another Chizik, in a positive way, but he’s starting to get noticed. ISU is paying him relatively well, getting him over a million dollars a year, and is happy to have him.

The Coaching Change Will Come … Within the next five years. Only 44, he’s young, talented, and will get offered a shot to run a bigger name program at some point in the next few seasons.—-

Nowhere in this article does it mention that Rhoads is from this area, his family is here and that he calls central Iowa "home." Don’t sweat this fanatics. If anything, this article should be a compliment to Rhoads and Iowa State. National writers (who don’t know many specifics regarding Iowa State) view Rhoads, who’s gone 12-13 during his two years in Ames, as a coach who some of college football’s top programs will want to go after in the next few years. That must mean that the guys over at CFN see a bright football future for this program.

For those who are wondering, this article lists Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops as the top coach in the conference, followed by Mack Brown of Texas.

Every one of Rick Pitino’s assistant coaches at Louisville last season has landed in a different spot since the Cardinals were eliminated in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. According to reports, that had a lot to do with Webster-Chan’s decision.

Before Webster-Chan committed to Louisville, Iowa State associate head coach T.J. Otzelberger was heavily recruiting him. As I wrote on our forums last night, I’ll be shocked if that doesn’t turn out to be the case again. The problem is, so will everybody else. The competition to land Webster-Chan will be heated but you’d like to think that Otzleberger and Fred Hoiberg have a punchers chance, considering the relationship they have already developed with the prospect in the past. Iowa State has been on him since day one. Stay tuned.

WEEKEND VISITOR?: According to THIS REPORT, Iowa State will host an official visitor this weekend in LaDontae Henton, a former Dayton commitment. The article quotes Henton saying that he’s also considering Baylor, Marquette, Texas, Penn State, Tulsa, UAB and Central Michigan.

IOWA STATE AT BREWSTER: Here’s a Tweet that was recently sent out by @BrewsterHoops (Brewster Academy in New Hampshire): Iowa State and Michigan will be on campus today too!

ASSISTANTS TO BECOME OFFICIAL: I anticipate that we could see a release naming Abdelmassih and former Dayton assistant coach Cornell Mann a part of Iowa State’s staff as early as this afternoon. Frankly, I’m surprised it has taken this long. Stay tuned.

BIG 12 AS CLASSIC ROCK BANDS: The boys over at WRNL are at it again. In this recent article, your beloved Cyclones are compared to the band "The Faces." CLICK HERE for more. Hey WRNL guys….Can I make a request? I’d like to see this identical article, comparing Big 12 schools to country artists. Pretty please?

1460 KXNO TONIGHT: FYI, I’ll be co-hosting 1460 KXNO’s 4-7 show with Dave Zawilinski from ABC 5 tonight. Ken Miller will be back in town tomorrow, for the debut of Miller and Brinson in the afternoon. You can stream the show online at www.KXNO.com.

Chris Williams

Chris was hired as Cyclone Fanatic’s publisher in the fall of 2009. He is Iowa State football's postgame show host on the Cyclone Radio Network and can be heard daily from 4-7 on Des Moines' top-rated sports station, 1460 KXnO.
Williams, a 2007 graduate of Iowa State’s Greenlee School of Journalism, is the former publisher of the old CycloneNation.com (Scout.com). He has also written for the Des Moines Register, the Ames Tribune, CycloneReport.com and is the former sports director at KMA Radio.
When Williams isn’t working, you can usually find him doing something outdoors with his wife Ashley, daughter Camryn, and Golden Retriever Dierks. He enjoys golfing, boating, country music, the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Braves and is passionate about any and all motor sports so finding Williams at a local dirt track is very common.